Trail Chef: All-Star Berry Recipes

You can't beat fresh-picked, flavorful antioxidant bombs!

Jonesing for fresh food after a few days of nuts and jerky? There's nothing like pick-your-own berries to satisfy the craving. Whether your berry of choice is blue-, straw-, black- or huckle-, here are 3 tasty ways to serve your bounty.

Couscous in Fruit Sauce
A sweet, hearty breakfast. Serves 4. Recipe adapted from The Wilderness Chef, by Claudine Martin

1 pouch clarified butter
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 cup fresh berries of choice
1/4 cup dried banana, ground
1/2 cup dried pineapple, diced
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In camp: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with the butter. Add couscous and banana, stir, and remove from heat. Cover and let stand five minutes. Uncover and fluff couscous with a fork, then stir in remaining ingredients.

Berry Compote
Gourmet topping for instant cheesecake or pudding. Recipe adapted from Camp Cooking, by Bill and Jo McMorris.

2 cups fresh berries
4 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
1 tablespoon instant tapioca pudding
1/2 cup water

In camp: Put cinnamon sugar, pudding, and water in a small saucepan and let stand five minutes. Add berries and cook over medium flame until the mixture boils. Remove mixture from pan and let cool completely. When cool, spread on your dessert of choice.

Easy Berry Tacos
A fun twist on the classic pancake breakfast. Serves 3. Recipe adapted from scoutorama.com.

2 cups pancake mix (such as Bisquick)
2-3 cups fresh berries
Maple syrup

At home: Pack syrup in leakproof container.

In camp: Combine pancake mix with 1 1/3 cups cold water and mix well. Heat and lightly grease skillet. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter onto heated skillet and cook 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and let cool enough to hold with your hand. Fill pancake with berries and drizzle with syrup; fold like a taco and eat.

What are your favorite berry recipes? What about your favorite berry hikes? Share 'em in the comment section below!

—Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan

Image credit: Gare and Kitty

PRINT THIS PAGE EMAIL THIS PAGE RSS FEED

Digg Delicious Yahoo Facebook Reddit StumbleUpon Google Newsvine Facebook Twitter

READERS COMMENTS

The ugg boots As the winter comes, you��ll understand how barbour jacket is vital and perhaps you opt to shop .
Posted: Dec 26, 2011 ladies international barbour jac

There is also this one if you have a Bakepacker, Outback Oven or Backpacker Oven...

Blueberry-Orange Tea Cake
From A Fork in the Trail

Makes 3�4 hearty servings

I�ve always loved the summery taste of blueberries. My family often hikes in areas that have a plethora of wild blueberries, but we like to leave the berries for the wildlife. Buying dried blueberries means that you won�t have to dehydrate anything for this recipe.

Cake
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered egg
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 fresh orange
2 tablespoons water

Topping
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup white sugar

At Home
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pour the mixture in a ziplock bag. Put the dried blueberries and sugar for the topping in another ziplock bag and place that in the bag with the dry ingredients. Put the powdered egg in a small ziplock bag, and put that bag in the bag of dry ingredients. Pack an orange and add the oil to what you are taking on your trip.

At Camp
Rehydrate the blueberries in a little boiling water. Let sit until rehydrated and then drain and set aside. In a small pot or large ziplock freezer bag, mix the powdered egg and 2 tablespoons of water, stirring until all the lumps are gone. Add 1/8 cup oil to the egg mixture. Juice the orange using a fork and add 1/4 cup orange juice to the oil and egg mixture. Stir well.

Slice the orange peel into thin layers, being careful to avoid the pith. Sliver the orange rind and mix it in with the dry ingredients. Add the liquid mix and stir just enough to moisten.

Line the bottom and sides of a pot or pan with parchment paper. Place the blueberries on the parchment paper and sprinkle with sugar. Gently spread the batter on top of the blueberries. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly.

Posted: Jun 17, 2009 Laurie Ann

There is nothing like taking in an epic view of the Cascade Mountain range while snacking on a handful of Wild-Pacific Northwest hucklberries. This is a regular summer treat that helps me to define good living. Food tip: Huckleberry pancakes, Huckleberry muffins, and mix up a Huckleberry grilling sauce for Wild Salmon. : )
Posted: Jun 17, 2009 Cynthia